


Switzerland

by tjs_whatnot



Category: The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: Family Drama, Family Issues, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:02:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21845629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tjs_whatnot/pseuds/tjs_whatnot
Summary: The Curse of the Middle Child
Comments: 16
Kudos: 28
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	Switzerland

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blackorchids](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackorchids/gifts).



Time stood still. 

The slap reverberated in Sodapop’s ears, the look of pain and hurt in Ponyboy’s eyes burned in Soda’s. And since he was in the middle, like always, he also had the shame and fear of Darrel’s immediate reaction burned into him as well. 

It all echoed against his bones as he watched Pony run, as Darrel stood frozen. Soda ran after Pony, cursing at Pony’s track-athlete speed. He was only half a block away before Pony was so far gone that Soda had no idea where to go. He went back home. If he couldn’t soothe Pony, then it was his role, his responsibility to soothe Darrel instead. 

The curse of the middle child. The safe ground for both of his warring brothers. It was never easy, he never didn’t see both sides of their battle, never didn’t empathize with them both. He completely understood why Darrel lost his temper so severely, he’d been there pacing with him while Darrel made his calls to try and find Pony, he got the pressure that was on him to keep them together. At the same time, he could absolutely put himself in Pony’s place, walking into that burst of rage with no defenses but his own accidental and somewhat age-appropriate carelessness. The unfairness of it from both sides crashed over Soda again and again.

“He’ll be back,” Soda tried to assuage Darrel when he came back. “It was just… a lot.”

“I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t know why…” he couldn’t finish that and Soda was glad for it. They both knew that wasn’t true. They both know why he did it. They both knew he had been pushed into doing it. The knowing still didn’t make it right, or easily forgivable.

“We’ll get through this,” Soda said instead.

They both nodded and looked away. But neither of them slept and when the sirens rang through the neighborhood they both held their breath and waited for the knock on the door. Their minds racing with scenarios, each more horrific than the last. It wasn’t until the sun rose and the paper hit the front door and Two-Bit came in with a box from the bakery under his arm that they admitted to themselves and each other that no, he might not be back and no, they might not get through this.

Two-Bit told them what he knew, that he had been with Pony and Johnny at the movies, that they had been harassed on the way home by Socs, but that Two-Bit had handled it before he bid them adieu. He didn’t know what had happened after that. The sirens they’d heard were explained in the news that a Soc kid had been killed in their neighborhood. They jumped into action. 

When Steve showed up, Soda had him go and cover his shift at the gas station so he could look for Pony and Johnny. Meanwhile, Darrel started making calls to hospitals and police stations, asking for Johnny Cade instead of Pony, so that he wouldn’t be alerting social services to Pony’s disappearance. He didn’t care if social services come to investigate Johnny’s situation. They should have done it a long time ago anyway.

Soda couldn’t get the dread and apprehension niggling in his mind that Pony and Johnny’s disappearance and the thing that happened to the Soc were somehow related, but he tried desperately not to let his mind follow that thread to any conclusions. He went to the Shepard place to look for Dallas and because there were usually enough people squatting there that maybe someone would know what happened. Maybe Johnny and Pony would be there too his mind tried to appease.

They weren’t. And Dallas wasn’t talking. Not at first. He was packing what little he possessed.

“Where you going?” Soda asked

“Away from here.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t you hear, a Soc was stiffed. I’m the first person the cops will be looking for." 

“You didn’t have anything to do with it though, did ya?”

“Nope. That doesn’t matter though. You should come with me. They’ll get around to hassling all of us before they’re done.”

Soda knew that was true. He also knew that Dallas wasn’t going anywhere. This wasn’t the first time he’d packed and it wasn’t the first time he’d suggested Soda come with him. Soda knew that as much as Dallas insisted that nothing tied him down and he was a lone wolf and didn’t need anyone or anything, he had ties here that kept him rooted. Just like Soda had Pony and Darrel and Sandy and…

 _Sandy_. He cringed. He’d totally forgotten her in the chaos that was the last 12 hours. He didn’t know what he would have said to her anyway. He didn’t like to unload all this stuff onto her, but she’s made it clear too many times that she could take it more than she’d ever be able to take him closing himself off from her.

“Listen Dally, you seen Johnny and Pony?”

Dallas turned his back and started making his bed. “Hmmm?”

“Come on, tell me what you know.”

“I don’t know anything.”

“Bullshit.”

He still pretended to make his bed. Something Soda was pretty sure he’d never done before in his life. Soda reached out and placed his hand on Dallas' shoulder and tugged him around to face him.

“Just tell me they’re okay.”

There was a commotion downstairs with voices and scurrying and they knew the fuzz were there. Dally pushed Soda towards the closet, but Soda fought him until Dallas looked him in the eye and whispered. “They’re okay.”

Soda stayed in the closet as Dallas was drug away from the other side of the door, cursing and cracking jokes and Soda couldn’t tell if that was for his benefit or if Dally just really was that tuff. It wasn’t until Soda was sure that the house was empty of cops and drifters before he left the closet and went to the phone to call Darrell and tell him what he’d learned. It wasn’t much, but just knowing that they were Dallas levels of _okay_ was enough for now.

After that, he went to Sandy’s. He didn’t know what was going to happen and the thought of having to tell her all he’d gone through in the last day was almost daunting enough to make him turn around and go home. But, she said she wanted all this… all this mess and ugly.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He was bracing himself for anything, but when she opened the door, he didn’t have to say anything. She took him in his arms and just held him tight. Didn't let him go. Let him just... _be._


End file.
